Radiation Exhaustion

cindyc59
cindyc59 Member Posts: 44
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Okay I have 13 more radiation treatments to go. It is making me so tired and cranky! anyone else experience this? After surgery they said cancer free but should get the radiation,but now I want to quit the radiation. I was so tired today I feel asleep on the table during the few minutes of the treatment! I've had the chemo and double masectomy with reconstruction,moved, got kids in new school, going to lymphedema and physical therapy, and going through a divorce,but I don't work right now!It just seems ridiculous to be this tired! Am I expecting too much from myself? Worst seems over but can't get myself moving.

Comments

  • Ritzy
    Ritzy Member Posts: 4,381 Member
    #2
    Very normal
    Unfortunately Cindy, exhaustion is a part of rads. We all go thru it, or, most of us do and did. That is why it is soooooooooo important to get all of the sleep that you can. Take naps during the day, go to bed early, anything to get rest. Rads zap all of your energy. And, you have a full plate besides that, so, it is going to hit you really hard, emotionally and physically. Please just get rest anytime that you can. And, to answer your question, YES, it is normal to be exhausted during radiation treatments. I just finished rads and I am still exhausted, which is normal. It just takes time.

    Hang in there Cindy!

    Sue :)
  • cindyc59
    cindyc59 Member Posts: 44
    #3
    Ritzy said:

    Very normal
    Unfortunately Cindy, exhaustion is a part of rads. We all go thru it, or, most of us do and did. That is why it is soooooooooo important to get all of the sleep that you can. Take naps during the day, go to bed early, anything to get rest. Rads zap all of your energy. And, you have a full plate besides that, so, it is going to hit you really hard, emotionally and physically. Please just get rest anytime that you can. And, to answer your question, YES, it is normal to be exhausted during radiation treatments. I just finished rads and I am still exhausted, which is normal. It just takes time.

    Hang in there Cindy!

    Sue :)

    thanks ritzy! I am trying!
    thanks ritzy! I am trying! gonna try for that nap right now!
  • Ritzy
    Ritzy Member Posts: 4,381 Member
    #4
    cindyc59 said:

    thanks ritzy! I am trying!
    thanks ritzy! I am trying! gonna try for that nap right now!

    ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
    Good! You nap as long and as often as you can. You have to now until you finish rads! Your body is telling you that! And, if you need help at night sleeping, ask your oncologist for something to help you to sleep. That is so important for you to get you thru this!

    Have a good nap Cindy! Sweet Dreams!

    Sue :)
  • New Flower
    New Flower Member Posts: 4,294
    #5
    Ritzy said:

    Very normal
    Unfortunately Cindy, exhaustion is a part of rads. We all go thru it, or, most of us do and did. That is why it is soooooooooo important to get all of the sleep that you can. Take naps during the day, go to bed early, anything to get rest. Rads zap all of your energy. And, you have a full plate besides that, so, it is going to hit you really hard, emotionally and physically. Please just get rest anytime that you can. And, to answer your question, YES, it is normal to be exhausted during radiation treatments. I just finished rads and I am still exhausted, which is normal. It just takes time.

    Hang in there Cindy!

    Sue :)

    Radiation is recommended for Stage III
    Cindy,
    I understand your feelings. I was told that radiation should improve recurrence rate. I felt similar at the middle of radiation too and did have radical mastectomy with reconstruction and 6 Chemo cycles . See if you can find time to have a nap after radiation. It did help me to complete 36 treatments. I had my treatments in the morning then go home, had lunch and went to bed. After nap I was much better and was able to do housework and other activities.
    Hang in there for two more weeks
    New Flower
  • dyaneb123
    dyaneb123 Member Posts: 950
    #6
    New Flower said:

    Radiation is recommended for Stage III
    Cindy,
    I understand your feelings. I was told that radiation should improve recurrence rate. I felt similar at the middle of radiation too and did have radical mastectomy with reconstruction and 6 Chemo cycles . See if you can find time to have a nap after radiation. It did help me to complete 36 treatments. I had my treatments in the morning then go home, had lunch and went to bed. After nap I was much better and was able to do housework and other activities.
    Hang in there for two more weeks
    New Flower

    I'm in my second week of
    I'm in my second week of rads. I go in at 8:20 in the a.m. and then on to work. I have to drive an hour each way. So far no fatigue and no burns but I'm sure that will change as I go along. I only have to do 25 though...so when did your fatigue kick in? My Onc. says the fatigue can last for months afterwards , so quitting now probably isnt going to immedately stop your tiredness anyway. Hang in there, you don't want to ever have to wonder what if?
  • lanie940
    lanie940 Member Posts: 490 Member
    #7
    dyaneb123 said:

    I'm in my second week of
    I'm in my second week of rads. I go in at 8:20 in the a.m. and then on to work. I have to drive an hour each way. So far no fatigue and no burns but I'm sure that will change as I go along. I only have to do 25 though...so when did your fatigue kick in? My Onc. says the fatigue can last for months afterwards , so quitting now probably isnt going to immedately stop your tiredness anyway. Hang in there, you don't want to ever have to wonder what if?

    Oh geez, I'm tired already
    Oh geez, I'm tired already and I haven even started RADs yet. That's next week. I'm so tired from this hernia surgery and the pain from that. Lucky for me, I don't work, just help with getting my grandson off to school, he is 11. I pick him up after school. I will nap every chance I can.
  • Akiss4me
    Akiss4me Member Posts: 2,188
    #8
    Normal reaction to rads
    You are having a normal reaction to radition treatments. Do not discount the toll your body has already taken from everything else as well. My body was so exhausted that I couldn't move. It was hard to "nap" as I couldn't get my mind to rest. I would lie there awake hours on end. It is a very difficult struggle when your mind and body is not in sync. It does take a while to bounce back. My Doc said to at least give it as long as it has taken to actively treat your cancer, is how long it can take you to bounce back. Just try to do your best to muddle through what is left and know that healing takes a while. ♥Pammy
  • cindyc59
    cindyc59 Member Posts: 44
    #9
    Akiss4me said:

    Normal reaction to rads
    You are having a normal reaction to radition treatments. Do not discount the toll your body has already taken from everything else as well. My body was so exhausted that I couldn't move. It was hard to "nap" as I couldn't get my mind to rest. I would lie there awake hours on end. It is a very difficult struggle when your mind and body is not in sync. It does take a while to bounce back. My Doc said to at least give it as long as it has taken to actively treat your cancer, is how long it can take you to bounce back. Just try to do your best to muddle through what is left and know that healing takes a while. ♥Pammy

    I started to get tired
    I started to get tired around my 17th treatment. I also have the herceptin and lymphedema therapy plus physical therapy. Feel a little better today. Everyone told me radiation was a picnic compared to what I havebeen through so didn'texpect to be so tired! I honestly think some of it has to do with having to go to the hospital everyday,
  • dyaneb123
    dyaneb123 Member Posts: 950
    #10
    cindyc59 said:

    I started to get tired
    I started to get tired around my 17th treatment. I also have the herceptin and lymphedema therapy plus physical therapy. Feel a little better today. Everyone told me radiation was a picnic compared to what I havebeen through so didn'texpect to be so tired! I honestly think some of it has to do with having to go to the hospital everyday,

    Amen to that Cindy! The only
    Amen to that Cindy! The only thing making me tired is the long drive!
  • Tux
    Tux Member Posts: 544
    #11
    I hear you on the
    I hear you on the exhaustion! I fell asleep on the radiation table every day after about the third week. The therapists could never figure out why they had to tell me that the session was over until I told them that I had fallen asleep! (I can fall asleep anywhere!)
  • cindyc59
    cindyc59 Member Posts: 44
    #12
    Tux said:

    I hear you on the
    I hear you on the exhaustion! I fell asleep on the radiation table every day after about the third week. The therapists could never figure out why they had to tell me that the session was over until I told them that I had fallen asleep! (I can fall asleep anywhere!)

    Tux
    It amazes me that I can fall asleep in the ten minutes that I am there. Glad to here it isn'tjust me!
  • Wolfi
    Wolfi Member Posts: 425
    #13
    Expecting too much
    Cindy,

    I am currently going through radiation (in my 4th week now) and being tired is normal. I, too, felt like I wasn't doing enough and shouldn't be so tired. My radiology technician told me that the energy in my body (which I used to work, raise my kids and keep my house running) was being redirected to my chest to heal the cells that were treated with radiation. She said I needed to get more sleep each day so my cells could heal (since they are zapped a little bit every day).

    I know that not ALL of my energy goes to healing those cells, but the image was one I could understand and I don't feel so bad when I don't get as much done as I'd like to some days.
  • cindyc59
    cindyc59 Member Posts: 44
    #14
    Wolfi said:

    Expecting too much
    Cindy,

    I am currently going through radiation (in my 4th week now) and being tired is normal. I, too, felt like I wasn't doing enough and shouldn't be so tired. My radiology technician told me that the energy in my body (which I used to work, raise my kids and keep my house running) was being redirected to my chest to heal the cells that were treated with radiation. She said I needed to get more sleep each day so my cells could heal (since they are zapped a little bit every day).

    I know that not ALL of my energy goes to healing those cells, but the image was one I could understand and I don't feel so bad when I don't get as much done as I'd like to some days.

    Wolfi-thanks. That really
    Wolfi-thanks. That really made sense to me and made me feel better about being so tired. It is just so frustrating because I thought Iwould feel somuch better my now and be ableto accomplish a lot more than I have been.

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